Under Our Yellow Tree
by Oa17
Summary: This story is a one-shot about Damon and Elena's life. It is set in the future, one where Elena is never a vampire and the cure never existed. It shows memories under a yellow tree. The inspiration came after seeing a picture that my sister took of a tree in my backyard.


**Hello beautiful readers. I am as sad as all of you about the news that Nina is leaving TVD, my Delena heart is shattered. In honor of my love for this epic couple, I looked through my stories and have taken the ones that I feel that best represent our beautiful couple and modified them with Damon and Elena in mind. This one is a one shot from a picture my sister took of a yellow tree in our backyard. The picture to me was magical, epic even and gave me the inspiration for this story. I feel that it captures much of the Delena feels I have. I am also modifying another story and will post it soon. Let me know what you guys think about this! All my love to you guys.**

**OA**

**Under The Yellow Tree**

**Disclaimer: I do Not own any of the characters in this story, nor any of the stories themself. There owned by The CW and the companies that work with the network. Any dialogue and or story likeness is coincidental and not intended to offend anyone.**

In this story Elena was never turned into a vampire, the cure never existed and the largest threat to Elena was still Klaus.

**Elena's POV**

"Immediately the fairy gave a stroke with her wand, and in a moment all that were in the hall were transported into the prince's dominions. His subjects received him with joy. He married Beauty, and lived with her many years, and their happiness - as it was founded on virtue - was complete."

I sigh as I close the book I had just finished reading. Beauty and the Beast. So appropriate and yet so far away. I know that some people have compared Damon and myself to the fairytale couple, but there are some many differences, no matter how much I can wish that my life where a real life fairytale.

I lean my head against the trunk of the tree that has become my escape. This tree, that is hidden to the world, is an oasis of peace and magical enchantment for my soul. There are so many fond memories here since I discovered it.

Here was where Damon and I had our first official date. Here was where Damon told me about the things froms his past, his family, his friends, the war, and the many years after that I still didn't know about. Here was where he told me how and when he checked up on me for those months between the two times we meet. Here he told me that he fell in love with me since he first saw me in the woods, just starting to try to live the world my way. Here I told him about my childhood, my past relationships and experiences. Here we came to escape the world, to be just two people in love with no other cares in the world.

Here we were free to be who we really were, not having to look behind our backs or lie to people. Here we could fantasize about having a life together. How was our wedding going to look like, the guest list, the food, the venue, the dress. Here we could think about how would our house look like, if we really wanted the white picket fence and blue shutters, or just a nice flat that overlooked a city like New York or Paris. Here we looked into the possibilities of leaving Mystic Falls, which we both shoot down very quickly since we both loved the town too much to leave it behind, especially since our friends and families live here.

Here we talked about the dream of becoming parents, even though we knew it wasn't possible to have biological ones we talked about adoption. We both wanted two children; Damon wanted a buddy and a princess and I was okay with whatever we had. Here we talked about watching them growing up, how Damon would teach our son to throw a ball and fish and would have to really learn to control the demon in order to be able to let our daughter date.

Here we talked about finding a cure. Well, more like fantasized about this matter. We both had an inkling that this would never happen and that this was just what fate had in store for us. But it never hurt anyone to dream, now did it?

Here was where Damon and I had meet again after having to spend three months apart thanks to Klaus. This place became our personal safe heaven. A meeting point that no one else knew about, not even Stefan.

Here was where Damon decided to propose to me. We both knew that this had to be a secret engagement. I have to say that that moment was the most magical experience that I have had in my entire life. He had texted me to meet him under our tree and I got there as soon as I could get away from Caroline and Bonnie. He was there all dressed in black, since he knew I loved him dressed in that color, bended on one knew and smiling at me in a way that I had never seen before. He looked care free and really truly happy. I was still in a state of confusion as he took my hand in his and told me "You are my sunshine, my northern star, the air that I breathe and the heart and soul of my existence. You make me happy when there is nothing to be happy about, you give me the confidence that I lack and you believe in me when I don't even believe in myself. You are my one and true love, my soul mate. I know that this cannot be a reality at the moment but would you make me the happiest man in the history of this earth and be my wife?"

I was crying like a baby at that moment and smiling so much that I thought that my face would break. But I pulled him up to a standing position and just kissed him with all the love that I could put into that simple action. As we came apart he had this glow on him and his smile had gotten bigger, which I had thought was impossible. I just told him "Yes, of course I would be more than happy and honored to be your wife. I will love you always, forever, eternally; in this life and all the ones that come after that."

An then he surprised me once more. As he took the beautiful ring of the box, I saw that he had actually bought a chain for it. He walked behind me and made me pull my hair up so that he could fasten the chain around my neck. "I know that having the ring on your finger would be a little hard explaining to your friends and family, plus a little dangerous if Klaus came to notice and link us together in that way, so I opted for a way in which you could have the ring with you yet in a place where no one will pay much attention to it. In this way we can have a secret engagement, that will make us both happy and keep us safe."

As I turn around and kiss him, the cool breeze caressed our cheeks and the yellow leaves formed a magical wall that disconnected us from the troubles of our lives and permitted us to live in the moment. It is like a halo in the earth, a magic that only we were blessed and honored to see.

Here was where we had to say "I'll see you latter" knowing that that latter might never come. This was the place where I saw him for the last time.

He had told me that Klaus was closer than ever, that he thought that there was no way around this one and that the only option was infiltration on the enemy. This time even I understood that I had to go away and not contact him since it would mean the death of all of us. Even Stefan had to leave, this was something that Damon wanted to do on his own, with no help.

That was the hardest thing I had to do. We just stayed in each others arms for a long time, listening to the others heartbeat and remembering all the good times and the things that we overcame together.

As we were to say our goodbyes he looked me in the eyes and told me to never forget him and to try to move on with my life if something were to happen to him. I told him that he shouldn't be so negative but that I could only promise him that I would try. He took the ring from my necklace and placed it on my finger, telling me to latter take it off but that he wanted to place it there, just to have the memory of doing it. We kissed and as our lips told the other one that we were soul mates, the other's one true love and that we would never forget each other, our tears let us know that there was a high possibility that this was the last time that we would see, touch, kiss and embrace the other.

And that was true. Years later, after Klaus was taken down, a young woman came to me and gave me a diary. It had been her father's and in its last pages I read how the love of my life had given his life in order to save me, Stefan and our friends from Klaus. My Damon died a hero, but those men treated him as worse than dirt. The soldier had seen how Klaus and his minions mutilated his dead body and how they had just burned him and them thrown his ashes to the garbage.

I gave my thanks to the girl because, although I wanted to bring Klaus and his minions back from the dead and torture them, I knew that they were rotting in hell, she had given me the wonderful gift of closure. Of knowing that my Damon didn't die in vain and that he did what he always did, the right thing, not even thinking twice of the hurt that it would bring him.

I never took the ring of my fingers and I never explained any of the circumstances around it to anyone. My friends eventually decided that it wasn't worth their time to try anymore since I was so determined to not say anything. But they knew, deep down they knew Damon had given me that ring. Stefan was the only one who knew because he had helped Damon buy the ring but he never asked any questions, for which I was very grateful.

They also decided that it was best for me to do what I wanted with my life. They stopped trying to get me to be happy and bubbly all the time. They stopped asking me questions about why was still so sad, why was still I depressed. They stopped trying to get me to go get some help for my depression and had stopped trying to get me to have a love life, or much of a social life outside of work.

This is the place where I still come to remember him and cherish those memories. There are so many fond memories here since I discovered it.

Here I am fifty years after that whole chapter of my life ended. After Damon left this world too soon for his story with me to end. After my heart was ripped out of my body. After I lost the love of my life. I have never married and have never had a relationship after him, I have never felt what I felt for him. It was like a really huge part of me died with him.

I didn't even get the chance to cry over his body or bury him, so this is the place that I come instead to cry over the loss and to tell him what is going on in my life. Because in one way or another I still feel him with me, I still feel like he is watching over me.

Stefan and I are still friends and I am welcome at his house very often. He is still worried about me, since he says I am stuck in this limbo state from which I cannot apparently rip myself from. He lost a brother, but in a way he doesn't fully understand what I lost. I lost my best friend, my partner and the love of my life and he was able to marry his and live a life with her.

I brush away a tear that had fallen and a weak smile forms on my lips. "I will love you always, forever, eternally; in this life and all the ones that come after that." I place a kiss on my fingers and gently caress it onto the tree.

As I close my eyes, I feel the cool breeze caress my cheeks and the yellow leaves form a magical wall that disconnects me from the troubles of my life and lets me live in the moment. It is like a halo in the earth, a magic that only I am blessed and honored to see.

It is then that I feel a bright light in front of my eyes. As I open them I had some difficulty adjusting to the brightness but then saw that there was a figure standing in front of me and was blocking the bulk of the light so it wouldn't hurt my eyes.

It is then that I notice that it was Damon, My Damon! At first I was too surprised to say anything and he just smiled at me, that smile that tells my that he is truly happy. He then extended his hands toward me and as I take them, he pulls me into an embrace, one that I had longed for for so long. After what felt like too little time, he pulled away and caressed my cheeks and hair.

I got lost in his beautiful blue eyes for a while and when I finally found my voice, asked him what was he doing there. He just smile and told me "I'm here for you, always for you Elena, my Elena." And as I look down I no longer see the old lady with the wrinkles and the weight of the world on my shoulders. I looked like when I was 18, when I was madly in love with a man that was widely not understood and alone.

As I look up, I could only see love in his eyes. We stared into each others eyes for a while and he just slowly moved his hands along my cheeks as if re-memorizing my features and the softness of my skin. He then looked me in a way that suggested that he was reading my soul and asked me "Elena, do you love me?" and I could only smack him playfully in his arm and laugh with all the giddiness of a school girls who is in the arms of her true love, and just looked him in the eyes trying to put all the love and emotions in my eyes as I answered "Don't you remember, Damon? I will love you always, forever, eternally; in this life and all the ones that come after that."

WIth that he kissed me and I have nevered feel so happy in my life. He then lead me towards the brightness. Leading me to the arms of my father and mother, who I hadn't seen in so long. To the arms of the many people I had lost since my teenage years.

Now we are able to start the next chapter of our lives, together since our love is forever, eternal; in the life we had had and all the ones that are still to come.


End file.
